Raindrops Keep Falling
by Simba72598
Summary: Being a mermaid isn't always easy. Rainy days can be quite inconvenient, especially for grown women with busy lives and careers. Whether on stage or in a grocery store, the four mermaids have to be ready to invent crazy ways to stay dry- or escape. Each chapter is a one-shot rainy day for Cleo, Emma, Bella, and Rikki (respectively). Set several years in the future. Canon Pairings.
1. Ch 1: Cleo

_**All right everyone! Here's chapter one: Cleo (and Lewis). Enjoy!**_

 _ **•••**_

Creak!

A gust of wind rattled the shutters, waking Cleo from yet another dream in which she had transformed into a mermaid during her dolphin show. After waiting for her heart rate to calm back down, she rolled over and squinted at the green alarm clock numbers beside the wedding pictures of her and Lewis on the nightstand. They had to get up in three minutes; there was no point in going back to sleep.

Bang! Creak!

With a sigh, Cleo rolled out of bed and tiptoed to the window to fasten the shutter. It looked stormy outside. That wasn't good. Lewis had volunteered them both to play tour guides for a group of incoming interns at the California Marine Biology Institute where they worked. Which meant she couldn't just hide inside if it was raining.

The alarm clock went off and Lewis groaned and hit snooze, as was usual. Cleo was wide awake though. She had escape routes to plan.

"Lewis, do you think it's going to rain?" She sat back down on the bed and poked her husband in the side until he responded.

"Most likely." He yawned groggily. "At some point or another it has to rain. The probability of it never raining...well, it's ridiculous."

"Helpful, Lewis." Cleo glanced back at the window, then at her husband of five years, his head buried in the pillow, already asleep again.

She didn't need to be worrying; she'd coped with rainy days for over ten years now. Lewis too. It was just a group of interns anyway. What could go wrong?

•••

"All right, everyone, I'm Lewis McCartney-"

"Doctor," Cleo couldn't resist adding with a proud smile. He had done far too many research papers for months on end to simply leave off his rightful title.

"Right, Dr. McCartney. My lovely fellow tour guide here happens to be my wife, Cleo." Lewis motioned to her and then winked as she gave a mock bow. "She's the best in the business when it comes to the sea creatures here. Cleo does research, and training with the show animals, and-"

"You're in charge of the dolphin shows here, right?" A dark-haired intern about their age interrupted, his eyes darting to Cleo excitedly. "I read a paper about you."

"That's...nice? Hopefully it was a good article?" Cleo's gaze darted to Lewis, who shrugged. She was interviewed occasionally, but when did they have time to look up every newspaper article about the Institute? There were probably plenty of references to her of which she was unaware.

"It was excellent. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Samuel Parker." He stepped to the front of the tour group and shook Cleo's hand.

Lewis raised his eyebrows toward Samuel and his perfectly manicured hair. Cleo was mainly trying not to laugh.

"Okay, well, let's get started." Lewis rubbed his hands together, looking slightly like a mad scientist- especially since he was still wearing his lab coat. At least she had changed into a nice dress. The outfit felt more professional- and since most of the interns were her age or older, a sense of authority came with the dressier attire. "First off, we have the laboratories: my haven."

Lewis launched into a spiel about the lab- mentioning everything from microscope rules to Bunsen burners to the various experiments the interns were allowed to do. Cleo injected comments occasionally, but her eyes kept darting to the windows. She could see the coast. It was certainly dark and stormy. But no rain. So far so good.

"And so basically, no experimenting in here without your manager's permission. This lab had been set on fire too many times. Mainly by me, but that's beside the point. Any questions?" Lewis folded his hands and grinned at Cleo. She smiled back, knowing that despite all Lewis's complaints about having to take interns on tours, it was secretly one of his favorite tasks. He was proud of the Institute. She was too. It was like when she had been in elementary school, and she got to give a friend a tour of her house for the first time. There was an aspect of pride in it.

"Um, I have a question," said Samuel Parker. "When do we get to go see the Marine animals? That's really all I'm here for." He turned to glance at Cleo and winked.

Cleo watched Lewis purse his lips, slightly miffed. "Well, good to know your interests. We'll head there as soon as we go through the supply warehouse."

"The supply warehouse is important," interjected Cleo when she noticed her fancy-haired but rather rude admirer was looking like he wanted to comment some more. "At least a couple of you all will be working during hours when we have dolphin shows. Everything we need for setup is in the supply closets."

Lewis walked over to stand beside Cleo. She was honestly quite thankful. Samuel Parker was still gazing at her shamelessly. Had he not heard Lewis mention that she was already taken, or was he just a creep? She bit the inside of her mouth and grabbed her husband's hand, hoping to discourage stalker Sam.

"And the locations of the supply closets themselves are quite handy to know," Cleo said, still holding onto Lewis. "If you ever need a hiding spot..."

"Ha, um, forget we told you that," said Lewis, giving Cleo a sideways glance while the interns laughed at his flustered expression. She just gave him a grin and started for the door, once more checking to make sure she wouldn't be walking into a torrential downpour. The buildings were disconnected; their next stop was halfway across a parking lot which lined the pier. However, it was quite a walk between the warehouse and the water's edge. They were in for several minutes of outdoor time in the danger zone.

"So, um, Cleo?" An intern asked as they all started walking across the parking lot. She turned to see who was talking and wasn't surprised it was Samuel Parker. He was quickly starting to get annoying.

"So, have long have you been working with dolphins? From what I've heard, it sounds like you have a real connection with all the animals?" He spoke like it was a question and Cleo felt her heart skip. A connection. He didn't mean anything by it. She had to remind herself that most normal people wouldn't automatically assume she got along with the sea creatures so well because _she_ was a fellow sea creature- straight from mythology. She glanced at Lewis, who was staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to respond to Samuel Parker's question. _Right._

"Well, I've been working with dolphins about ten years, but you could say all of the trainers here have connections with the animals. That's part of the reason we do what we do. We love our dolphin friends," said Cleo casually. "I'm certainly not the only-"

A raindrop landed on her wrist and she quickly dried it off with her sleeve.

"Uh..." Cleo looked at Lewis frantically, while her brain completely lost whatever words she had been planning to say. "It's um, raining! We should probably walk quicker!" she told the group of interns.

"But would you say it takes a certain personality type to work with dolphins?" Samuel was still talking. "I read an article once, that suggested..."

Cleo wasn't paying him any attention. Another raindrop had landed on her forehead and she had been forced to quickly wipe it with her sleeve inconspicuously, all while speed walking toward the supply buildings. Everyone was practically jogging to keep up with her.

There was a pinging noise as the rain began falling harder, striking the tin roofs of the buildings in front of them. A millisecond later, Cleo was struck by a plethora of water droplets- far too many to dry off. The downpour was beginning. And she was still in the parking lot!

"Cleo! Run!" hissed Lewis. "The pier!"

She was already sprinting, immensely grateful she was wearing flats, not heels. Lewis was going to have to do some crazy fibbing to cover for her this time. She could practically feel Samuel Parker's confusion. But she didn't have time to worry over any of that. She had six seconds to make it off the pier. Five seconds. Four. Three.

Cleo had never ran so fast in her life. She _had_ to make it to safety. Rain pelted her hair and face. Two seconds remained. She reached the railing along the wooden walk between the Marine buildings. One second.

Cleo put her hands on the top of the railing and leaped over it, feeling somewhat like a stunt actor on TV. She felt herself start to transform as she freefell toward the ocean.

Splash!

Cleo hit the water at an odd angle, but quickly straightened out beneath the surface. Sure enough, she had a tail. Ughh. She sighed underwater then began swimming under the pier, planning to head back to the opposite side of the Institute. She only hoped she had been out of sight before she transformed. And that Lewis could come up with a convincing explanation for her sudden exit.

•••

"Wait! Where's she going?" Samuel Parker asked as Cleo sprinted across the parking lot.

"She must really not like rain," another intern commented as everyone stopped to simply stare at Cleo.

Lewis winced. He needed a distraction. "Hey, everyone! Uh, let's just continue the tour, she'll catch up later." He started walking, watching out of the corner of his eye as Cleo vaulted the railing. He thought he caught sight of a quick shimmer- which meant she had developed a tail in midair -but it was so quick it was hardly noticeable to anyone not expecting a mermaid.

"Really everyone, come along. As I said, she'll catch back up later." Lewis felt his voice was drained out by the heavy rain- and the whispers that had erupted the instant Cleo dived off the pier.

"Did you see that?"

"Why on earth would she jump like that?"

"Is this part of the tour?"

Lewis rubbed his forehead, and tried to push his wet hair out of his eyes in a dignified manner. Ever since high school, when Cleo had become a mermaid, he had constantly worried about her secret being exposed. When she had moved to America to be with him, the concern had doubled. He felt responsible for her secret- it was up to him to protect her. However, desperation only made him worse of a liar than ever before. But he needed some sort of explanation. Grown women didn't just dive off piers as soon as they got wet. At least not sane women.

"Okay, everyone. Everything is perfectly fine. You haven't been around Cleo as long as I have. I've known her since we were five. This is completely normal behavior for her. She...just fancied a swim. Really bad." Lewis rubbed his nose, feeling quite transparent as the entire group of interns blinked at him wordlessly.

Well, not quite wordlessly. Samuel Parker started running toward the pier. "What if she needs help?!"

"No, no, she doesn't!" Lewis took off after the dolphin enthusiast. The rest of the group followed like spectators at a parade.

"She just...dived?!" Samuel seemed to be in shock. "Something must have been wrong! Really wrong!"

"Trust me, she's fine," said Lewis as he caught up to the intern at the pier. Both men stared into the undulating water. Cleo was- thankfully -no where in sight.

"No. She wouldn't just jump like that. Even if you say she likes swimming." Samuel was shaking his head at the ocean.

Lewis crossed his arms. "She is _my_ wife. I know Cleo better than anyone and I say this is normal. Come on, just trust me and we'll finish the tour."

"But she wasn't dressed for a dive in the ocean! Come on, man! She was wearing a skirt and a blazer, not a swim suit!"

"That's because she gave up swimsuits." Lewis didn't miss a beat. "For Lent."

"What? Who does that?"

"I know. It was a sad day. But really. We're all going to be soaked. Let's go inside."

"But where is she?!" Samuel Parker gestured to the water and to the shore behind them. "She should have made it to the beach by now! What if she got swept out to sea?!"

"She's a good swimmer," said Lewis somewhat tersely. To his own ears he sounded like a very indifferent husband, but Samuel Parker really needed to give it up.

"What if she hurt herself? You might not care, but I'm going after her!" The intern kicked off his shoes and leaped over the railing, completely ignoring Lewis's complaints.

Splash! Samuel hit the water and began swimming under the pier, shouting for Cleo when he surfaced. Lewis pulled at his hair and groaned. Samuel would be searching for quite some time. Cleo knew better than to stick around. She was probably at the other side of the Institute, drying off.

A couple interns had their phones out, recording Samuel splashing around like a kid playing Marco Polo. "Cleo? Cleo, are you okay?" The wind started to pick up, making the waves bigger and sending even heavier rain into Lewis's face. It was cold. He really didn't want to go for a swim. But Samuel needed to get out from under the pier. He was going to get dragged out by the rip current.

"All right everyone!" Lewis turned back to the tour group. "I'll get Samuel and you all head inside the supply warehouse and get dried off. Don't go anywhere and don't touch anything. Understood?"

Most of the interns were only a couple years younger than he was, but they all nodded respectfully and hurried to shelter, out of the storm. Lewis kicked off his shoes, still grumbling to himself, and then hopped the railing, diving into the tossing waves.

"Cleo? Cleo!" Samuel was still shouting as Lewis swam up behind him. "Cleo! There you ar- No! It's just you."

"Good to see you too, mate." Lewis grabbed one of Samuel's arms. "While you were underwater I saw Cleo make it to safety. She's fine." Lewis held his breath as a wave rolled over them. "We need...to go."

Samuel was hit in the face by another wave, and he coughed up saltwater before simply nodding- too tired to argue. Lewis helped steer the intern to shore, half-carrying Samuel by the time they reached the sandy outcropping. Even though the intern was bigger than Lewis was, the young man clearly wasn't as much of a swimmer. Which made Lewis smile. Good swimming skills were kind of a requirement for being married to a mermaid.

"Uh...Thanks," panted Samuel as he collapsed on the beach and tipped his face toward the rainy sky. Lewis nearly did a double take.

"You're thanking me? Well, this is exciting. You're quite welcome." Lewis gave a little bow and began wringing the water from his lab coat.

The intern sat up and frowned at Lewis. "You're weird."

That seemed more normal. In fact, it was normal. Lewis just shrugged and motioned toward the Marine Biology Institute. "Come on. It's still raining. We better get dry."

"And find Cleo? You did see her, right?" Samuel stood and narrowed his eyes.

Lewis spread his hands and tried to look innocent. "Of course! You think I don't know what my wife looks like? Well, mate, let me tell you that-"

"Fine. It's freezing. Let's just hurry." The intern's teeth were chattering. In truth, the guy's concern for Cleo was nice, albeit unnecessary, Lewis thought. Though if Samuel started working with the dolphins, Cleo was going to have to be much more careful. Maybe they could put in a word with the managers and have Samuel start on the fish tanks. Or at least on Cleo's off-hours.

By the time they made it back to the warehouse with the rest of the group, Lewis and Samuel were both shivering as if they'd jumped into icy Arctic water. It was true, California was often cooler than Australia, but still...Lewis had never been so cold in years. However, when he caught sight of a dark haired lady in a blazer jacket and skirt, he felt vastly better.

"Cleo!" Samuel Parker started toward her, still dripping from head to toe, and Cleo backed up nervously, even putting out a hand to keep him at arm's length. He got the signal and stopped, looking a little hurt, but Lewis was relieved. The last thing they needed was for Cleo to turn into a mermaid again.

"How...? How are you already dry?" The garrulous intern was once more in shock.

"I, um, keep a blow-drier with my things. As I explained to the others, I like...um, spontaneous swims."

"See! Just as I said!" Lewis waved a hand for emphasis and Cleo looked like she wanted to laugh. He realized he was still utterly soaked. He sighed.

"Cleo, you continue the tour. I'm going to show Samuel where we keep some of the Institute's most important commodities: the towels."

•••

Lewis rinsed another plate and set it in the dishwasher while Cleo cleared the table. She couldn't keep from replaying the morning's escapades in her mind every few minutes. It had been a very close call. Too close.

"Aw, it's fine, Cleo," said Lewis as if he had been reading her thoughts. "You escaped. Samuel was a bit confused and slightly put out because you didn't even hug him after he risked his life to save you, but he'll get over it. If he had listened to me in the first place, we wouldn't have had to play drowned rats. But it's all good. It was just an exciting tour."

"Lewis, we were all stuck inside the supply warehouse for an hour before the rain stopped! The interns were bored out of their minds, wondering why we couldn't just move on to the next building! They'll probably all quit." Cleo bit her bottom lip as she placed the loaf of bread on the counter.

"Nonsense. They seemed interested. Maybe because they were just staring at you, but I doubt they'll quit."

"Ughh." Cleo sat at the table and rubbed her hands through her hair. "And I feel terrible that you had to jump in the water too!"

"Ha, I do that all the time."

"But not in your lab coat. It'll smell like salt for days."

"Cleo. Really. I'm fine. No one saw you. That's what matters." He dunked another cup in the sink and smiled at her from across the kitchen. Cleo looked up and met his gaze, and then suddenly she was laughing hysterically.

"Oh, Lewis, I love being a mermaid! I love you! What a day!" She had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from snorting. Lewis stared at her for a moment, as if waiting to see whether she'd gone entirely insane, but then he started laughing too.

"Boy was I thankful when you showed up. I had to trick Samuel to get him out of the water. He didn't seem to believe me for a while. I think he just didn't trust me after the bathing-suits-for-Lent thing."

"Yeah! Now what am I supposed to wear when we have staff pool parties every summer?! Way to go, Lewis."

"You can always wear a heavy coat. Say you've got a cold."

"Oh Lewis, don't even remind me..." Cleo nearly doubled over laughing remembering the day he had found out she was a mermaid. "Aw well. I guess you said what you had to. And no one saw me transform. That's what's important."

"Well, I saw you- just barely." Lewis measured the air with two of his fingers. Cleo rolled her eyes.

"You don't count."

"Oh do I?" He set down the glass he had been rinsing and moved toward Cleo, who was still sitting at the table. "Let's see about that." He moved to kiss her, but the moment he touched her face she jumped away, half-yelling, half-laughing.

"Lewis! You didn't dry your hands!"

He made no effort to help her, and Cleo didn't care enough to run for a towel. A few seconds later, there was a mermaid reclining at the kitchen table. She shook her head at Lewis and they both starting laughing again.

It had been a weird day, but that was their life. And it was good.


	2. Ch 2: Emma

_**Hope you liked chapter one! Here's the second, featuring Emma (and Ash). (Sorry Byron!)**_

 _ **•••**_

"Though the rise in water pollution is unprecedented, we can still rally together and let the fight against it be just as widespread. The time to act is now, and if our nations improve their pollution controls, the next generation could be swimming in a much safer, healthier, and cleaner ocean." Emma smiled broadly. "Thank you." She dipped her head toward the back of the airplane seat in front of her and closed her laptop. Ash clapped.

"Bravo, Emma! Quit journalism and write pep talks for cleanup crews! Whew! Bravo!"

Emma grabbed his hands to stop his clapping. "Hush! Do you want the whole plane to hear you?!"

"No, I want them to hear you," he smirked and Emma just rolled her eyes at her fiancé.

"Behave yourself, Ash."

He kissed the back of her hand which was still trying to silence the applause. "Remember who you're talking to? I love behaving myself."

Emma laughed and shook her head. This would be the first time Ash had attended one of her journalism conferences. As an environmental writer for international research corporations, she was used to traveling a lot. Alone. She had never minded it; she had caught the travel bug when her family had decided to tour the world during her senior year of high school. She had loved seeing other places, meeting other people. But it all seemed even more special with Ash.

They had reconnected a few years ago- once she had finished her journalism degree in Europe and he had completed his master's in business back in Australia. Of course, things hadn't been the same as when they had dated in high school. They hadn't continued their relationship for years, so it had been odd to have Ash back in her life. Yet he had kept cropping up. And then they had started video calls whenever she had to fly to some foreign conference or research exhibit. And then six months ago, he had proposed. Once they got back from the London pollution control exhibition, they would head back to the Gold Coast. Neither of them had lived in Australia for quite some time, but they had agreed it was home. Emma was thrilled to get to see her family again. And Rikki and Cleo and Lewis. They were all going to be in the wedding, which made Emma want to leap for joy. The past few months of her life had been the greatest. And every moment just kept getting better.

"Attention passengers. Please stow all loose articles and fasten your seatbelts. We are nearing the London Heathrow International Airport."

"Right on time," chirped Ash, glancing at his watch as the intercom switched into French. Emma checked her watch too, mainly out of habit. Ash had managed to take the whole month off for wedding prep and then their honeymoon- which Emma supposed he had the right to do as an entrepreneur with a successful self-run internet company. He didn't need to be wearing his watch- he could forget about meetings and schedules. But he was like her in many ways. Time management was a hard-to-bury trait.

"Uh, Emma?" Ash nudged her shoulder and pointed out the window at the London skyline. It was cloudy and wet, filled with huge buildings and plumes of smoke that made Emma long for Mako Island all the more. Ash was still staring at her almost anxiously though, so she shrugged.

"So? It's London. I've been here many times, Ash."

"It's raining," he said flatly. "Pretty hard."

Emma peeked over his shoulder once more, frowning at the window. "Hhmm. I guess so."

"Well? What's your plan then?"

"Let's try...think dry?" Emma shrugged again and laughed. "Relax Ash. I know the tricks of the trade. I travel through rainy places all the time. All by myself. You don't have to worry, okay?"

He just nodded, somewhat dubiously, and kept glancing at the window.

The plane touched down several minutes later, and then everyone began unloading after a final weather update from the pilot. It was a busy day at London Heathrow. All the covered tarmacs were in use. They would have to walk through the rain in order to reach the terminal gate. And Ash was right to be concerned. It was dumping buckets- as if it wouldn't rain again for years.

"Having second thoughts?" said Emma's predictable fiancé. He was watching her stare in mild panic. She had forgotten her umbrella. And her coat was in her checked bag. Her laptop bag wasn't waterproof. Emma's options were down.

"Well, maybe I...I..."

"Yes?" Ash prodded. He just liked to hear her admit she was wrong. But that was a bit of a problem, because she hated those words.

"Maybe...maybe I wasn't as prepared as I thought?" Emma finally said. "Maybe I am in a tiny predicament?" She held two fingers together to emphasize how teensy of a problem it was and Ash laughed.

"Oh Emma... _we're_ in a tight spot. But that's what I'm here for, right? That and the applause during your speech."

"Correction: After my speech. Please don't clap in the middle. Ms. Brooks will murder you."

"You know, I've heard so many horror stories about your boss, I can't wait to meet her. We'd probably get along well," said Ash.

Emma shook her head adamantly, and then went back to staring at the rain. "All right, Ash. I'm glad you're here, because I need your help. Any ideas for getting me inside without?...you know," she finished in a whisper, glancing at the middle aged man across the aisle from them, still waiting to exit the plane.

Ash wrinkled his nose in concentration. "Well, we could stall for a few minutes and hope it lets up a little."

Emma chewed her lip nervously but nodded and began to gather her things...very...slowly.

Ten minutes later it was still raining and they were the last ones on the plane. The flight attendant was going through each aisle, checking for garbage and lost items. Emma knew they couldn't stay for much longer.

"Duck," commanded Ash, pulling Emma down between the seats.

"That's not going to help," Emma hissed back at him. "We can't hide for-"

"Can I help you?"

The flight attendant was standing right there, watching Emma and Ash hide between the rows like guilty children avoiding their parents.

"Haha, uh, no, I just..." Emma stood up so fast she felt the blood rush to her head. "I just, um, lost my earring!" She quickly covered one ear and Ash nodded fervently, still crouched on the floor.

"I'm quite sorry, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave the plane. You can file your information with the lost and found counter and if the earring turns up, someone will call you," explained the attendant, staring at them both with narrowed eyes. Emma laughed nervously.

"That, uh, sounds good. Sorry for any trouble. We'll leave." She grabbed Ash with one hand and her laptop bag with the other and made her way to the exit, the flight attendant lady still staring.

"Emma, you can't go out there!" Ash whispered as she hesitated by the door.

"What choice do I have but to run for it?" Emma realized her hand was shaking. Millions of people flew through London Heathrow daily. If she was seen turning into a mermaid, it would spread faster than a fire in a hay field.

"Here, let me take that," Ash slung his satchel bag across his chest and grabbed Emma's laptop case. "No, wait...I've got another idea." He passed both bags back to her and without explanation, began taking off his shirt.

Emma stared at him, her jaw feeling strangely unattached. "Are you crazy, Ash?! You're going to get yourself arrested! You can't just strip in an international airport!"

He grinned and took the bags back, handing her his shirt. "Since you forgot your coat, you're going to need a towel. I'll hold the laptop bag over your head like an umbrella. You wipe off stray raindrops. We'll run together on the count of three."

"Ash! You. Are. Insane! This is never going to work!" Emma spoke so loudly the flight attendant turned to look at them. Her eyebrows went up when she saw Ash's attire.

"Excuse me? What do you think you're-"

"Three, two, one," yelled Ash. He nudged Emma and before she had time to argue more, they sprinted down the ramp and toward the terminal gate.

"Ughh!" Emma nearly tripped over Ash's feet as he ran somewhat sideways, trying to hold the bag over her head. Rain dripped onto her arms and Emma frantically wiped the water away with Ash's shirt. Just a few more steps...

They made it inside the building and Emma continued drying her shoulders and legs in a near frenzy. Ten seconds passed. She remained standing. Ash was wet, but somehow his nutty idea had worked. She was dry; she was safe.

They glanced at each other, still in the middle of the terminal gate, and began laughing in sheer relief. At least, they were laughing until Emma hear a shrill voice call her name from behind them.

"Emma Gilberts! What on earth is going on?"

As one, Emma and Ash turned to face Ms. Brooks, Emma's notorious boss. Emma felt her heart drop. How in the world were they going to explain Ash's unsuitable attire?

"Uh, hello Ms. Brooks! How was your trip?"

"Who is this?" The middle aged woman pointed to shirtless Ash. "Please tell me this isn't the fiancé you were going to bring."

"Haha, well, this actually is Ash, but rest assured he doesn't normally go around half-dressed." Emma chewed the inside of her mouth feeling slightly ill.

"I should hope not! He's going to get himself arrested by airport security," said Ms. Brooks as if Ash wasn't there. He quickly spoke up, though, evidently wanting to give some reason for his current state.

"Long story short ma'am, I was simply letting my bride-to-be use my shirt as a handkerchief."

Emma nodded, eyes big, and Ms. Brooks frowned. "Doesn't that seem a bit over the top?"

"Well," Ash laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's also an excuse to show off the effects of...um, my new diet." He patted his stomach and Emma clenched her jaw to keep a straight face. "It's a pretty interesting diet," Ash continued. "Fourty percent raw fish, ten percent lobster thermidor, and fifty percent sardines."

Emma lost it. If Ash was trying to make Ms. Brooks laugh, he was failing horribly. But _she_ understood his reference.

"Miss Gilberts," started Ms. Brooks, stone-faced. Emma clapped a hand over her mouth and quickly sobered.

"You are well known for your logical and detailed research and your unflagging effort to make oceans cleaner. However, if you find this buffoon amusing..." She narrowed her eyes at Ash, who instantly adopted a serious expression and started apologizing.

"Ms. Brooks, I was only trying to be charming and funny, I'm sorr-"

"Ms. Brooks," Emma cut in. "I do find Ash very amusing, and I love him so much that I've agreed to marry him. I'm sorry you don't share the same sense of humor, but please...there's no need to snub him." Emma crossed her arms as she stared at her boss. "Tomorrow you won't even recognize Ash. He really is a successful businessman. Until then, I hope you have a restful evening. Good day." Emma nodded, signaling she was finished, and Ms. Brooks turned to walk away. To Emma though, the lady looked rather impressed. She obviously hadn't expected Emma to have a bold streak.

Once Ms. Brooks was out of earshot Ash turned to Emma. "Wow, you know, she could have fired you for that backtalk. Emma, I'm really sorry for being such a goof. I should have remembered your stories about her not having a sense of humor. I was going to apologize, but-" Ash grinned from ear to ear. "I kind of loved hearing you stand up for me like that."

"Well, I kind of love you," Emma replied, finally tossing him back his shirt. "I couldn't let her talk down to you like you were garbage."

"No, just a weird guy on a weird diet."

"Now that was a little overboard."

"Okay, okay. But I kept you from popping a tail earlier, right? I had to slip a joke in somewhere."

Emma rolled her eyes and took a step closer to her fiancé. Before she could lean forward to kiss him though, a security guard turned the corner and spotted Ash.

"Hey you! Put a shirt on, man!" The guard moved toward them and Emma and Ash ducked down a different terminal while Ash wriggled back into his top.

"Look, it's stopped raining!" He put a hand on Emma's shoulder and gestured to a large glass window overlooking the tarmac. She could only laugh.

"You know...the conference tomorrow is outside..."

"Good thing I packed an extra shirt," Ash grumbled sarcastically before they both grinned at each other and headed back to the baggage claim, hand-in-hand.


	3. Ch 3: Bella

_**Bella's story is here at last, and for those of you waiting for Rikki's tale (pun intended), fear not! I'll do my best to post it within the week! Thanks for following & favoriting this story!**_

 _ **•••**_

Bella wrinkled her nose as she stared at the green beans in the canned food aisle. She could never remember whether Will liked them or not. She knew he most certainly didn't like pinto beans, but she was at a loss as to whether green beans were on the hate list as well.

After another minute of debate though, Bella shrugged and grabbed several cans of the green beans. If Will didn't like them, tough. She was craving green beans and so that's what they would have for dinner.

She headed to the checkout counter and then froze in the line. Beyond the counter, she could see the parking lot through huge glass windows. It was pouring. There was no way she could make it to the car without getting wet. Even if she bought an umbrella she was sure to get splashed.

Bella sighed and quickly got out of the checkout line. Evidently she was going to be killing some time at the store today. Sudden rainstorms were a downfall of living in Ireland again. Australia got storms, sure, but overall, the Gold Coast was much drier than the foggy Irish moors. Yet, her parents thought it would be a good idea if she and Will stayed in one place until the baby came. And Bella had agreed. The entire three years of their marriage had been spent traveling the world together, diving and exploring exotic coasts and waters. It had been spectacular, but it was nice to be in one place, to have some consistency when everything else was changing. Plus, she had missed her childhood home and her family back in Ireland. Her relatives had all been thrilled to meet Will and he had been excited to see them- and the spot where she had first turned into a mermaid so many years ago.

Bella glanced at her watch and figured Will was probably out at the cave right then. He no longer dived competitively, but he still made diving a part-time job. He'd found numerous valuable artifacts while scouring the shorelines, and occasionally he even helped with boat-wreck salvaging. They had both been employed by various environmental agencies for a while -collecting water samples at different ocean levels was a breeze for a mermaid and an expert deep sea-diver- though recently Bella had quit that job and focused more on singing and fixing up their home. The singing was all local- but it was fun. And in a way, so was taking care of their house. It was small, but just enough room for two people, soon-to-be three. She subconsciously rested a hand on her slightly rounded belly. They had both been excited, but terrified to find out they were having a baby. Since she was a mermaid, there was no telling what would happen. Cleo and Lewis had all sorts of theories about half-mermaid children. Bella knew they wanted kids, but hadn't been sure it was possible- especially with all the transformations. She, Will, and their child were guinea pigs for everyone- and that was scary. Bella already felt her maternal instincts in full swing: she feared to think of anything going wrong and endangering her little mermaid.

And so, she was glad they were at home, in Ireland, and that Will and her parents were always close by. There was a divers conference going on back in Australia- Bella had heard Rikki was attending- but Will was perfectly fine with missing it for a year. As he'd told Bella, 'there were more important things going on.'

"Excuse me, ma'am, can I help you?" A teenaged store employee had apparently noticed Bella's absentminded staring at the window. She shook her thoughts away and quickly put on a smile.

"Oh no, I'm quite fine...just...just watching the rain."

"Okay, well, are you finding everything all right?"

Bella nodded. "Yes, thank you. I've got all I need." She held up her cans of green beans as proof.

"Okay, um...do you want to check out then?" He was staring at her, evidently wondering whether she'd ever been to a store before.

Bella glanced back at the rain, and then around the shop frantically, realizing she shouldn't have spoken so quickly. "Actually, I want to look at the...towels!" She pointed to the closest display with a little too much enthusiasm. The teen was still watching her suspiciously. Bella walked to the shelf and picked up a checkered hand towel and began gushing over it. "Look at...the colors! Isn't it cute?!"

The employee shrugged and began backing away, leaving Bella to fawn over the towels in peace. Once she was by herself, she set the cloth back down and sighed. Unfortunately, the store was not very large. There were only about seven or eight other cars in the parking lot. If the rain continued much longer, people would start to notice the weird lady with green beans.

Half an hour passed. Bella had stared at the snack food section for as long as she could take before moving on to the small home products section. Which meant she was looking at more towels when the same store employee walked by.

"Hi," said Bella, trying to be friendly. "These towels are all so nice...I just can't decide which ones to get!"

"Yeah. Uh, tough choices," the kid shoved his hands in his pockets, nodded politely, and carried on with his rounds. Bella rolled her eyes, frustrated with herself. Sometimes being a mermaid had serious drawbacks.

Another thirty minutes ticked by. Then an hour. Then two hours. Bella was sick of grocery stores, of stores in general. Her feet hurt from walking down pointless aisles and her stomach growled. She had tried calling Will, but evidently his phone wasn't on him because it had gone to voicemail. Bella sank into a chair on display in the home items area. She had contemplated just running for it with an umbrella and a towel, but the thought of what would happen if it did go wrong kept her safe inside. She couldn't risk turning into a mermaid in the parking lot- the unplanned transformation and the stress might endanger the baby. And the store employees would definitely see her: goodbye normal life.

But she needed to leave. What would happen in another hour, when the store closed for the night?

"Ma'am, are you all right?" Bella's new teenaged friend was back, eyeing her with the uncertainty Bella had around boiled liver. "You've been here for...three hours?"

"Yup," Bella put a hand on her forehead. "Oh, the choices! You know, I thought I wanted towels, but you know, I'm don't think I'm all that interested in them anymore."

"Well, okay." The employee shifted his weight, now looking at Bella as if she'd completely lost her marbles. "Do you just want to buy your green beans then?"

"No! Um, I...need another can of...something!" She jumped from the chair and started back to the canned foods. To her distress, the employee followed. Bella wondered if he'd been assigned to get the crazy lady out of the shop. Aside from a little old couple, she was the last one in the store.

"Let's see," Bella began thumbing through the piles of canned items, talking out loud purely for the sake of the anxious teen. Her acting had never been great, but at least she didn't look like a lunatic. She'd fixed her hair that morning. That had to count for something.

"I like corn. And red beans." Bella bit her lip lightly, trying to look like she was in deep thought.

"What about pinto beans?" So now the kid was trying to help her shop. Wow. That was a whole new level of invalidity.

"Um, I'm going to go out on a limb and decide my husband doesn't like pinto beans. He likes health foods."

"Uh, pinto beans are healthy." The employee raised his eyebrows and Bella sighed.

"Not if you soak them in butter like I eat them! Now let's see...I don't like beets, and canned carrots are weird."

The teenager was giving her a stare that said _she_ was weird, but at least he had the dignity not to comment. Bella was embarrassed enough as it was.

"Hhmm." She went back to silently staring at the food for another twenty minutes. The teenager walked off and when he returned, his manager was with him. Bella straightened, feeling slightly betrayed.

"All right, lass," said the old man who ran the store. "We're closing pretty soon here, and I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Can't I at least check out?" Bella gestured to her beans and gave the man her best puppy-dog eyes. He sighed and nodded. Suddenly Bella's phone rang. She glanced at the screen. It was Will.

"One moment please," she waved to the shop employees and answered the call.

"Will! Where were you?"

"Uh, diving? Are you okay? I saw you had called."

"Diving in a storm? It's raining here!"

"It wasn't raining on the coast. Are you okay though? You didn't get wet, did you?"

"No, though I've been stuck in a grocery store looking at green beans and towels for almost four hours!" Bella sighed in frustration, then realized the store workers were still listening in to her side of the conversation. "Not that I minded, I love those towels and it was such a hard decision not to buy all of them. The same goes for the canned goods! I just adore green beans!"

"Yuck, Bella, are you being serious right now?" Will sounded so confused. "I hate green beans."

"No, you really don't, because I'm having them for dinner. Look, I've got to go. If you don't hear from me soon, I don't know..." Bella gave the eavesdroppers a sideways glance. "Come looking. Love you, bye!"

She hung up before Will could get another word in. She slipped the phone back in her pocket and smiled sheepishly at the teen and the older man.

"That was Will. My husband. I guess he's feeling unhealthy." Bella grabbed a can of pinto beans and headed for the checkout counter, determined not to be forcibly removed from the shop. She had no choice but to face...the rain!

Bella nearly dropped her beans. The sun had come though the clouds and the rain had stopped. She was safe. And if she was in no danger of sudden transformations, then the baby was safe too. As long as she hurried.

Bella didn't think she'd ever checked out so fast. She waved to her store friends happily, as if she hadn't been acting crazy only minutes before, and nearly ran to her car, turning to see the store employees still watching her though the big glass windows. As she buckled into the front seat of the car a moment later, Bella's phone rang again.

"Bella! Do you need me to come pick you up or something? You were acting really strange." It was Will. He sounded concerned.

She leaned her head against the seat and suddenly burst into laughter. That seemed to worry Will even more apparently, because he started asking if she was having a seizure or something.

"I don't think laughing seizures exist, Will," Bella corrected, "And no, I'm fine. I've simply decided I can no longer go shopping at the general store on the corner of Glen drive. At least not for a while."

"What?"

Bella started laughing again. "I'm headed home now, no worries. Just prepare yourself. I've got quite a story..."

"Um, okay? Love you. Bye."

"Bye-bye."

Bella put the phone down and backed out of the parking lot. She waved to the store employees, _still_ watching her, and grinned all the way home.

Oh the things she had to do to be normal...


	4. Ch 4: Rikki

_**Here's the Rikki chapter! Thanks again for reading and favoriting the story! Hope you've enjoyed it!**_

 _ **•••**_

Rikki Chadwick fixed her hair with a compact mirror and then ducked behind the stage where the event coordinator was standing. The man immediately nodded to her- she was the internationally famous Rikki Chadwick after all, and then motioned to the stage setup. "What do you think, Miss Chadwick? Is there anything I can do for you?"

Rikki stared at the sky and then frowned. "Well, everything looks lovely except...well, it looks like it might rain. Is an outdoor stage really the wisest?"

The man glanced at his clipboard nervously. "Um, well, it was planned out weeks ago. The fresh air was going to be nice. There's still a chance it won't rain."

"And if it does?" Rikki raised her eyebrows.

"I'm quite sure it won't. At least not much. And a little water won't bother deep-sea divers like yourself, eh? Besides, I'm afraid it's too late to redo the stage design. But you don't need to worry yourself, Miss Chadwick."

"Right." Rikki frowned again, and wandered to the side of the stage to peek around at the spectators. Unfortunately, there was quite a crowd. The town had been advertising the divers' conference for months. Successful free divers from all around the world were in attendance, along with their families, sponsors, admirers, contractors, hopeful treasure hunters...the list ran on. Rikki had been happy to be invited. Will Benjamin had planned to come as well, and Rikki had been looking forward to seeing both him and Bella again, but then they had decided not to risk traveling while Bella was expecting. Rikki was excited for them- like any good friend -but at the same time, she was thoroughly disappointed. It felt like Bella and Will had entered another world and left Rikki behind- just as it had been when Emma and her family had left the Gold Coast, and then again when Cleo and Lewis had gotten married and moved to the opposite side of the world. They had all moved away and grown up. It didn't matter that they were all in their mid-twenties, same as Rikki. Her friends seemed decades older.

And it was lonely. Even though she had seen it coming when Emma gushed about Europe in the text messages she sent and it had been a given that she would go to a university abroad. And when Lewis returned to America after the summer he had came back for their graduation, Rikki knew Cleo would eventually leave too. The two's second goodbye had been even harder than the first, and so when Cleo started working extra shifts and applying for scholarships left and right, Rikki had been the quickest to guess her friend's plan to take her education to California as well. And before they knew it, time passed and Lewis and Cleo were married, suddenly in a different, much more _grown-up_ sphere. Then Bella and Will decided they wanted that level of seriousness, and Rikki wasn't even surprised when they tied the knot a few short years later and began traveling the world. Which left Rikki by herself. Of course, she had her dad- but he had never been the most reliable and Rikki had moved out as soon as she could afford an apartment's rent. And then there was Zane- but with him it was hit and miss; on and then off. They'd gotten back together and then broken up again so many times that it became predictable. Date for four or five months. Fight. Call it off. Wait about three months. Repeat. Right then they were in the middle of the "wait three months" stage. But this time Rikki was determined not to jump back into a relationship the instant Zane started flirting with her again.

Speak of the devil...Rikki noticed Zane Bennett sink into a seat toward the front of the seating area facing the stage. Why was he there? They needed to wait at least another month before they'd be on speaking terms again. Surely he hadn't come to see her?

"Good afternoon everyone!" Mr. Cartwright, the head of the Gold Coast's largest museum, stepped onto the stage with a microphone. He was old and rich and generally bad tempered, but Rikki had always gotten along with him. He had been one of the reasons her career had taken off the way it did.

"I am glad you all could join us today...Excuse me! If you're talking right now, stop. Take a seat. Thank you!" He cleared his throat and glared at the audience and Rikki smiled. "Anyway, I'd like to start by calling some of our local divers on stage first. Australia has many fine and courageous divers and a large quantity of the artifacts that fill our museums come from the findings of the following people..."

Mr. Cartwright began reading from a list of names. As Rikki had been expecting, her name was one of the first to be called.

Clip, clop, clip. Rikki's heels echoed on the stage floor as she made her way to the front to shake Mr. Cartwright's hand and to wave to the audience. She saw Zane watching her closely and sighed. She really could have gone without the whole stage-intro-ordeal. And at the end of the conference, she'd have to go back on stage again. Each diver in attendance would receive an honorary pin and a certificate when the week finished. The conferences about diving finds and rules and opportunities were informative enough that Rikki would have happily skipped the whole publicity deal and certificate, and simply showed up for the meetings. However, that didn't involve the community enough, according to event organizers. And for some divers, the stage presentation was the entire reason they showed up.

"Let's give all these fine people a round of applause," said Mr. Cartwright as Rikki and her fellow Australian divers took quick bows. Rikki noticed that Zane stood up and clapped for her. She fought against rolling her eyes.

Mr. Cartwright turned away from the mike to address Rikki and her diving rivals. "You all get to remain on stage until we honor everyone. It'll be a good photo-op with the whole group." Without waiting to see if anyone had any quarrels with that, he continued on, recognizing the divers from the South Sea Islands.

Rikki glanced around at the crowd and absentmindedly fluffed her hair with a hand. Then she felt a raindrop land on her wrist. Rikki snapped to attention and wiped her hand on the skirt of her silky rose print dress. Mr. Cartwright was going to be mad at her. But she had to get to safety!

"And from the United States, we have Hannah Baylee, Mark Denn..."

Rikki toned out the names as another drop of rain landed in her hair. That was bad. She couldn't exactly wipe her head on her skirt. At least not gracefully. Which meant she had ten seconds... Less than that. It was closer to seven now.

Rikki glanced at the crowd in panic. Zane was already out of his seat, motioning to a makeshift sound booth to the side of the stage.

"Excuse me! I'm having an emergency!" Rikki pushed past the other divers in front of her and sprinted down the steps toward Zane. Mr. Cartwright stopped his name reading. Every eye landed on the escaping Rikki.

"In here," said Zane. He had evidently already cleared the staff members from the sound booth- somehow- and he practically pushed Rikki into the tiny enclosed space before he closed the door on her.

Rikki transformed the instant it shut. Unfortunately, though, it was a sound booth. It had open glass in the top windows and no lock. And the booth was still in view of the entire crowd. Rikki shifted her position so her tail was pressed to the ground. Hopefully if she stayed low, no one would be able to see through the windows. And hopefully Zane would come up with a decent cover story for her.

Outside the cramped closet-like building, she could hear the crowd whispering. Then, his voice muffled by the walls, Zane started explaining Rikki's dash to the sound booth.

"She meant no disrespect, Mr. Cartwright. Rikki is feeling sick. She told me so earlier. She was about to vomit. All over. And she didn't want to ruin your stage."

Rikki pressed her lips together tightly to keep from yelling at Zane. She supposed it wasn't the worst excuse he could have come up with, but it didn't exactly paint a lovely picture either.

"So she's going to throw up all over my sound system instead? Get her to the bathrooms," ordered Mr. Cartwright.

Rikki was drying herself quickly, but she needed a few more moments...Zane, keep stalling! she mentally begged.

Fortunately, he complied. "Oh, I doubt she's actually vomiting, sir. Rikki has high stress sometimes. She probably just needed to put her head between her knees; take some deep breaths. And the sound booth is a better place to do that than the stage. You know, her tight dress and all."

"It's not that tight," hissed Rikki through the door, annoyed.

"Well, fine. Make sure she's not throwing up on everything. Shall we continue?" Mr. Cartwright went back to reading names and Rikki could feel Zane leaning against the sound booth door, blocking anyone from entering. She finished drying herself and straightened up, blushing as she noticed most of the audience still looking curiously toward her through the windows. It had stopped raining- for the moment. She could see that much. She only hoped none of them had been able to see her tail.

"Zane! Let me out," said Rikki when she tried to open the door and found it was still being blocked by her frenemy. "I'm dry!"

"You sure?"

"Hhmm, let me think- of course, dummy!"

"Come on, Rikki, nice words." He opened the door, which Rikki was pushing against, and as an unfortunate result, she tumbled out of the booth, and had to be caught by Zane.

"Feeling better, Rikki?" He was holding her as if they were dancing and though she didn't mind it, she reminded herself very forcefully that she was done falling for Zane. Even if he had helped her.

"Let me go!" She stormed toward the stage, once again realizing that Mr. Cartwright had stopped talking and everyone was watching her. Even though it wasn't sprinkling as it had been a few minutes earlier, the sky was still dark. Any second the downpour could begin. It would be too risky to head back on stage. She would have to go home- pretend she really was still ill.

"Good evening everyone, I'm leaving. Sorry for the disruption." Rikki waved to Mr. Cartwright, somewhat sheepishly, and made her way behind the stage. To her annoyance, Zane followed.

"Well, aren't you going to thank me?" asked her self-appointed shadow. A typical Zane question, thought Rikki. She didn't even dignify it with a response.

He didn't have time to ask again- Rikki felt a raindrop on her shoulder and she acted on instinct, grabbing Zane's arm and using his sleeve to wipe away the water.

"Rikki!"

She relinquished his arm and searched for cover frantically. They were still behind the stage-which thankfully had a curtained backdrop so they were out of view- but there were very few hiding spots. Except...

Rikki dropped to her knees and rolled under the stage. Her poor dress was going to be ruined...she sighed. The prices she paid for staying human.

"Rikki! Someone's going to see you!" Zane had apparently thought she needed his company, because he had crawled under the stage too.

"How? The front of the stage is covered by that banner. Unless someone's crawling around behind the stage... I'm fine. And you can go. Why are you here anyway?"

The light under the stage was dim, and Rikki wasn't sure whether Zane looked irritated or sad. "To see you, obviously."

"Really? I thought we were supposed to be avoiding each other for a few more weeks." Rikki made sure he didn't miss the sarcasm in her tone.

"Oh come on, Rikki. I've been doing some thinking-"

"That's bad."

"-and this relationship-game we're playing," continued Zane, ignoring Rikki's comment, "just seems...childish."

"Agreed."

"No, childish in the sense that we don't even try anymore. We fight and leave, rather than thinking it over and communicating like...like mature adults who actually care!"

"Zane..." Rikki's voice was patronizing, but she couldn't help it. She was flattened to the ground, cold patches of weeds pressed against her stomach. "This is really not the time. And even if it was...If you were right, who's fault is the lack of communication?" She frowned and shook her head. "I try. Every time. But you don't change, Zane."

"But I want to! Rikki, listen." Zane snake-crawled across the grass so that he was close enough to Rikki to take her hand. "Look around us! Time's passing us up. Emma's engaged, Cleo's been married for years, Bella's expecting, and what are we doing?"

"Hiding under a stage? There's no need to be so philosophical, Zane..."

"Rikki! I'm just saying I've realized I'm being stupid, okay?" He let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, when we tried to go out with other people, to truly leave our relationship in the past, neither of us were happy, right? So we went back to each other because...well, deep-down I think we really care about _us_."

Rikki didn't want to agree with Zane. Sometimes it was easier to just stay mad. But he was right. In a way. The last few breakups had been expected- and they hadn't _truly_ tried to repair the damage. She didn't think they'd ever really apologized to each other- at least not for years. And maybe that was childish. All couples fought, right? But the difference was that other couples made up afterwards- they fought _for_ the relationship instead of fleeing the bloodshed.

"Maybe, maybe...you have a point, Zane. But are you really saying that you're going to make the effort?"

"Yes, Rikki. I'm going to try. And if you try too, we might...we might have a chance. Maybe. But I want to give it another shot."

"I'll think on it, Zane," said Rikki, even though she already knew her answer. Depsite all her oaths against Zane, she wanted to try again too. And if they broke up- so what? They'd dumped each other before. They really had nothing to lose.

"That's all I'll ask for. Think on it," he smiled and Rikki found herself working very hard to keep a straight face.

Before either of them said anything else, though, Rikki noticed something seemed wrong. It was too quiet. Had Mr. Cartwright finished his introductions?

"Hey!" Zane complained as a light suddenly shined directly in his eyes. Rikki's heart skipped a beat as the flashlight beam then found her. Someone was holding the light, bent over behind the stage.

Rikki gulped when she saw the figure. It was Mr. Cartwright. She glanced at Zane in panic but he was gaping blankly, still squeezing her hand. Rikki sighed and tried to scoot as far away from Zane as she could. _This looks so bad_...

"Miss Chadwick! I am extremely disappointed by this...this-" He looked so disgusted he could hardly get the words out. "This incredulously unprofessional behavior!"

"Mr. Cartwright, I can explain-"

"And Mr. Bennett, isn't it? What on earth were you two thinking?! We could hear you whispering from the stage!"

"We just really needed to talk. And it's dry under here," started Rikki.

"It's dry?! You get wet for a living, Miss Chadwick! How am I supposed to suddenly believe you're afraid of a little rain! It only lasted a few minutes anyway. But seriously! If you think I'm going to believe you'd rather crawl under a stage than walk through the rain...You better come up with a better excuse, Miss Chadwick!"

"It was my fault, sir," Zane cut in. "I pulled her under the stage with me, hoping she still felt the same way about me as I did about her."

"Oh, please," scoffed Mr. Cartwright, obviously still upset. "Rikki, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to ask that you not attend the rest of the conference. Your behavior...it's childish; foolish; unruly. And I don't even want to know what you were doing in the sound booth. Or under here," he gestured to the stage and scowled. Rikki just sighed. She had caused quite a disturbance. Twice. She deserved to be banned.

"Please, Mr. Cartwright! Reconsider! Rikki's an excellent diver; all this is my fault!" Zane crawled out from under the stage to implore Mr. Cartwright.

"I'm sorry. But I will not take back what I said. Unlike some." He frowned at Rikki and started to walk off, but then out of the blue began laughing.

"Oh, this will be a story for years to come, won't it, Rikki! The time I caught you and the Bennett guy under the stage during intros." Mr. Cartwright slapped his thighs in mirth, shook his head and then continued walking back to the other side of the stage. Rikki blinked at Zane to make sure she hadn't imagined the entire scene.

"Um, so is he still upset?" Zane asked.

Rikki shrugged. "Maybe a little. But evidently not enough to think it's a bad story. He's looking forward to embarrassing me with it, which obviously means he still wants me around. I don't really know. He's odd, but I'll patch things up with him. He likes when I bake."

Zane raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment. Instead, he simply offered Rikki a hand to help her up from under the stage. She took it and allowed herself to smile at Zane.

"Thank you. For trying so hard to cover for me. And trying to take the blame."

"But I still got you banned."

Rikki waved a hand dismissively as she finished dusting the grass off her dress. She was surprised to find that she didn't really care about being excluded from the meetings. It was a little disappointing, but she was honestly more thankful she had simply made it out of the ordeal without turning into a mermaid again. And it was a nice bonus that Zane was acting better than his normal self. She supposed it wouldn't last, but she didn't really care at the moment. Zane had his good sides. And maybe his goodness would eventually win out.

"Come on, let's get you out of here before it starts raining again," suggested Zane, taking her hand and power-walking toward the parking lot. Rikki nearly jogged to keep up. Behind them she could hear Mr. Cartwright, talking into his mike, going on about the conferences throughout the week.

"So, um, since you're not going to be sitting in workshops all day tomorrow...How would you like to visit Mako with me?" Zane suddenly asked. "We could take a picnic, go swimming..?"

Rikki grinned at his effort to please her. It actually did sound fun. If all the rest of their friends were having fun and exciting lives, why couldn't Rikki and Zane too? Even if it was temporary, it was something.

They reached the parking lot and hesitated before starting toward their separate cars.

"Well?" prodded Zane.

Rikki started to walk away. "I'll think about it." She peeked back over her shoulder as Zane called,

"Wait! That's a yes, isn't it?"

Rikki winked and climbed into her car, just as the rain began again. She sat and watched it for a long moment: all the individual droplets, racing each other across the windshield.

Sometimes rain was inconvenient and irritating. But other times...Rikki decided it was a beautiful thing.


End file.
